A single intermittent test trained a team to re-run, then ignore, then merge through every red build — until two real regressions slipped through.
Cypress retries commands until they pass or time out — but only some commands, and only some of the time. Understanding which is the difference between solid tests and flaky ones.
Our CI was failing 18% of runs to flakes we'd stopped looking at. One week, four changes, no new tests. Here's what we actually did.
Cypress retries commands; Playwright auto-waits on actionability. Same problem, different solution. Here's what Playwright is actually doing when you call .click().
Flaky tests don't cost you in CI minutes. They cost you in developer trust. And the compounding interest on lost trust is the most expensive tax in engineering.